A Reunion
by Tsukiko-Takaya
Summary: 10 years later...will Chihiro reunite with her old friends?
1. Chapter 1

A Reunion

**Spirited Away Fanfic! This takes place 10 years later, and Chihiro decides to go back to the bath house to visit her old friends Haku, Lin, Komaji, and all the others who she had an amazing adventure with. Enjoy!**

That journey I had 10 years ago has never left my mind. I remember all of the kind and magical people I met at that bath house, and all the adventures I had there. All of the suspense, sadness, and joy it brought to me back then. But, the one person that I long to reunite with is Haku. His love, kindness, and protection helped me through everything. Haku would protect me from that terrible woman, Yubaba. Her sourness still lingers in my mind as I think of how she hurt me, Haku, and countless others. Another acquaintance that hasn't left my mind was No Face. His behavior in the bath house also swirls around in my mind, along with his skill in sewing and his kindness towards me. Lin and how sour she was to me the first time I met her always makes me grin every once in a while, and how she became such a sweetheart after dropping me off by Sixth Station. I always remember their last words to me, always echoing in my head. Haku's last few words to me meant the most out of all of them. He promised we will meet again someday when I was about to leave. Every night I hoped he wouldn't break that promise, for it was the most important promise to me that I'll ever hear in my life.

It was the middle of summer, a beautiful day outside. I decided to take a walk near that abandoned amusement park, where it all started with that unmanned booth and the giant feast. Walking by the shrines, I remembered all of my thoughts about them and what I thought they were for. I stopped in front of the building, staring at the entrance. I wanted to turn around, but it was like my feet wouldn't stop. The wind blew the leaves throughout the building, causing it to moan like it did when I first explored it. When I walked out, my eyes widened. The river...it was there. My mind went blank, and I ran. Past the booths, the trees, and finally, I came across a dead end. The ship full of spirits were there, and I recapped my thoughts from 10 years ago. I watched all of the spirits unboard the ship, and I followed. Ignoring the looks and the comments of being human, I slowly walked towards the bath house. The frog spirit at the door wouldn't let me in, but doing what Haku would have done, I shoved my way past him and ran fast. I ran into a tall woman while running down the hallway. Something was very familiar about that scent...

"Hey! Watch where you're going human! I could have-"

She stopped mid-sentence. The tall brunette woman I just ran into...was Lin.

"Sen...is...is that you?.." Lin said slowly, her eyes getting wider with each word.

"Lin...It's been so long!"

Our eyes filled with tears as we embraced each other tightly, ignoring everyone who set their gaze on us.

"I told you I'd come back soon!" I responded tearily.

"God, look at you! You're not the clumsy little girl I used to know! How old are you now, like 17?"

"20, actually.."

"Wow Sen! You're so old! Well, what brought you here anyways?"

"Um, I never left my memories behind me. My feet brought me here to reunite with everyone I guess."

"God I'm so thrilled to see you! You and all the things you changed around here still live on. You're a legend. A hero!"

Haku suddenley popped into my head.

"Hey Lin...Where's Haku?"

Her eyes went soft. Lin cleared her throat and spoke with a loud, clear voice.

"Haku left after he took you home all those years ago. No one has seen him since."

I was shocked. After Lin said that, my eyes filled with sad tears, my hopes of finding Haku again were crushed.

"Sen, It's fine! He probably went into hiding and won't show up until he finds out you're here."

"Oh Lin! I hope that's the case!"

Lin pulled me into a tight hug again as I cried into her shoulder.

"He promised...he promised!". My cries muffled into Lin's shoulder. She patted my head slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Sen...I'm sure if you go to his favorite place, he'll show up!"

"His favorite place? He never told me about that"

Lin opened a door. She pointed at a huge tree in the distance.

"I'd always find him resting in that tree when he didn't want to be bothered about orders and work. Maybe try there?"

I thought and thought for a moment.

"_Should I? Should I not? What if I get lost? But I'll probably find Haku! What if he's not there..."_

These thoughts repeated over and over again in my head. In the end, I finally decided to search.

"Thank you, Lin. I'll probably come back soon! It was so delightful to see you again!"

"You BETTER come back soon! Don't make me worry either!"

"I'll be fine! I promise you!"

I was just about to go out the door when Lin grasped my shoulder.

"If you find him...come back here immediately. No matter what he says!"

"Oh! Of course!" I replied quickly.

"Good luck, Sen. I believe in you!"

I hopped out the door and was on my way to the tree. Increasing my speed, I began to run faster and faster.

"Haku..Haku!"

His name repeated in my name over and over again with my hopes of reuniting with him.

"Haku...finally!"

The tree was farther than it seemed. I started panting, slowing down. But I did not stop. I didn't want to slow down while on my way to find Haku, so I pushed myself to keep going. After what seemed about an hour, I finally reached the tree. It was a tall, beautiful tree with many branches full of large leaves, casting a large shadow over me. I panted and panted, taking a seat against the tree while it shaded me with its leaves.

"No wonder Haku loves this place. It's so peaceful and quiet..."

After I caught my breath, I began my search for Haku. But Lin never told me _where _on the tree he liked to rest! I remembered exactly what Haku was like, so I assumed he would be resting in one of the tall branches. How was I going to get up there? My clumsiness would cause me to fall and injure myself badly.

"If this means I'll find Haku..I have to do it!"

I started up the tree. Slow and steady, I grabbed the thick branches and squated on those. I grabbed the next, and the next, and the next.

"Haku...where are you?"

All of a sudden, the branch I slowly rose on collapsed beneath me. I screamed as I hit each of the branches and fell farther down. Being up pretty high, I knew the fall would be hard to withstand. Shutting my eyes tight, I waited for the hard landing. But...it never came. It was like I stopped falling...or landed in a soft bed of leaves that fell while I was climbing onto the branches. I slowly opened my eyes, ignoring the pain from the cuts and injuries I received from that fall. There were arms..around me! Someone caught me! Then..I heard a voice...his voice...

"Chihiro...I knew you'd come back."


	2. Chapter 2: Working at the Bath House

My eyes widened and filled with tears. I found him. I knew I would find the friend that meant the most to me, more than everyone I've ever met. It...was Haku. I was speechless as I looked up at him, his kind eyes staring down on me, also filling with tears.

"Chihiro...Chihiro!" Haku repeated as he held me tighter and tighter while I took him in my arms as well.

"I came looking for you!" I managed to get out while embracing him tightly, my tears falling onto his shirt.

"I didn't want to face anyone back at the bath house, so I went into hiding. I stayed away from there, waiting for you to come back. I knew you would come back, just like we promised."

I once again remembered the promise we made that day, 10 years ago.

"I've kept that promise in my heart ever since then. I hoped we would both keep it!"

Haku slowly put me down and gentley held my hand.

"Lin wants you to come back to the bath house..should we?"

Haku hesitated.

"Erm, how about we go there when it's a little less busy?"

"But Haku...it's always busy!"

We laughed together and slowly layed down on the grass being blown around us by the summer breeze.

"Chihiro, it's so nice to be around you again. Each day, I would keep hoping you would come back to see me. Our reunion is the second best thing that's ever happened to me!" Haku said with a gentle smile while looking at me.

"Second?...what about the first?"

"I knew you would ask that. The first is obvious! The best thing that's ever happened to me...was meeting you. You helped free me from Yubaba's clutches, and I remembered my name because of you. I'd like to thank you for that again once more."

He ran his slender fingers through my hair, slowly combing out the leaves from my fall.

"Chihiro..still clumsy I see." he said with a smile.

"I just wanted to see you so badly!"

"Chihiro, I don't believe I've told you, but I hate climbing trees."

We shared a laugh again.

"We...should go to the bath house. Lin wants to see you. Everyone else! They've been worried sick about where you've been."

"I don't want to face them...after I've been gone for this long. I'm scared of their punishment and their reaction towards me."

"But I'll be with you the whole time! I'll help you! I promise."

Haku sighed.

"Hop on my back. Let's go."

With a smile, I jumped onto Haku's back and he began running. Everything around me looked like a giant blur. The trees, the grass, everything in the distance. After about 5 minutes, we reached the bath house. We stood in front of the entrance, watching the shadows of the workers and visitors as they busily run around.

"Hold my hand."

I squeezed his hand tightly.

"I'll open in for you." I said looking at Haku, his face drained of it's color.

We both gulped as I grabbed the handle. Very slowly, I opened the door, revealing the visitors and workers who began to stare with wide eyes. I expected to hear the murmurs of being human, but none of them came. What they were staring at, was Haku. After he disappeared, everyone across the land heard of our adventure, our story.

"HAKU?"

A familiar voice echoed through the halls.

"_Here she comes..." _I thought.

Just as I thought, Lin came running down the halls, crashing into Haku.

"Where the hell have you been? We've all been worried sick about you ever since you left all those years ago! NOW you show up? What's wrong with you!"

Of course Lin was freaking out about his return, but Haku stood there with a plain expression.

"I'm here to return to my job."

We all let out a little gasp. Haku wanted his job back? Why?

"I want to return now. The only reason I left was because I didn't want to hear you talk about Chi- Sen, and cause me to miss her even more terribly. I waited for her to come back so she could return with me."

Lin stared at us for a bit. Finally, she muttered the word: "Sure.."

Suddenly, a slight grin came across Haku's face.

"Thank you..Lin."

He must have seen the surprise on Lin and I's face by his grin, so he broke the silence by saying: "Sen and I will begin preparing baths for the awaiting visitors."

Wait, since when did I want to work in the bath house? Haku suddenly grabbed my sleeve and took me to get the clothes the female workers wore.

"I'll get you out of here soon. There can't be a human living in the spirit world forever, so you'll...have to leave again. But keep visiting! Please...promise?"

My eyes filled with tears at the thought of 10 years ago. I had to enjoy my limited time in the spirit world while it lasted.

"I promise." I choked out while putting on the clothes.

"Good. Now stay by the bath and I'll get the token."

Another memory came across my mind. The frog wouldn't give me the bath token, and No Face gave me about a hundred. No Face...what was he doing right now? My friend...i wonder what he's doing at Yubaba's sister's house. She was so kind to take No Face into her care from then on.

"Chihiro, send the token to Komaji." Haku came up behind me, startling me a bit.

"Oh, of course!"

I put the token on the hook, gave it a tug, and up it went. Haku pulled the rope and out came the water. The bath house became full of steam and warmth as I watched the guest walk in. The guest was a kind frog spirit, ignoring my prescence. The frog balanced on the edge of the bath for a few moments, then hopped into the water in a very fancy way. Haku tugged at the rope again to stop the water, then he immediately pulled me by the arm to the hallway.

"Chihiro, you'll need to leave tomorrow, late at night. Lin ordered."

"I know I have to leave, but I don't want to be away from you any longer! I don't want to go through the pain of missing you again..."

"You'll visit. I can't go near the river, so I won't be able to visit you. I know you'll be careful coming here, like you did earlier. Right?"

I thought of frequently visiting the bath house, but different thoughts went through my mind. What if something goes wrong someday? Haku pulled me into a hug, holding me tighter and tighter.

"It's not like it's forever. Just..don't leave for 10 years again, okay?"

We both giggled.

"Don't worry about that, Haku." I said with a warm smile.

"We have to mop the hallways. One visitor was pretty muddy, and several other guests have slipped on it and began to complain. C'mon."

He pulled me to a hallway on the other side of the bath house where two buckets of water and mops were already waiting for us. I grabbed one of the mops, soaked it with plenty of water, and began mopping in slow circles. I didn't make much progress though. The mud on the floor seemed to increase and move around different places.

"Here, like this." Haku grabbed my mop and began to scrub the floor. He was piling the mud bits up into a tiny mountain-like figure. Then he hit it several times with the mop, the mud collecting into the mop, and soaked the mud with the water in the bucket. The mud began to dissolve.

"Now you try."

I repeated Haku's actions. Pile it up, hit the mud, then dissolve it. It worked! After about 10 minutes, Haku and I were finished. I didn't realize how long I was gone from home until it began to get dark outside.

"Haku! Sen!" Lin came running down the hall.

I started towards her, forgetting how slippery the hall still was. My foot slipped and hit my other, causing me to fall flat on my back.

"Ow.." I muttered, rubbing my head which took the most damage.

"Sen! You clumsy idiot! Be careful!"

Haku came over and helped me up.

"It's time to go to sleep. Let's go upstairs to the room!" Lin gestured towards the elevator as Haku slowly let go.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Sen." Haku said to me, and he went the opposite direction.

"Come on, slowpoke!"

"Oh um, coming!" I ran towards Lin, careful not to slip again.

We stepped inside the elevator, and I pulled the lever on the right. A few seconds passed, then Lin and I stepped inside the room where a few other women were sleeping. Lin began to set up a sleeping space for me. She used the same sheets from 10 years ago, the flower patterned sheet.

"Do you think you'll be comfortable enough?" Lin asked kindly.

"Oh, of course!" I nodded.

"Today was such a tiring day!" Lin yawned as she got into her sheet.

I nodded again and slowly crawled into my sheet, comfy and warm. Then I slowly drifted off to sleep...


	3. Chapter 3: Together Once More

"Chihiro! Wake up!"

I was being shaken awake by…a hand? No, it was Haku's hand! I checked the clock hanging above me.

"4:30! Haku! Why so early?"

"No one's awake this early. We have to take you home earlier in the morning so no one thinks anything suspicious."

"Right…" I mumbled as I thought of going back home.

"Here, I gathered your things for you already. You can keep the clothes."

Haku grasped me by my arm as we ran to the balcony, where the sun was just barely about to rise. I felt a sudden breeze against me, and looked at where it came from. Haku turned into his dragon form! He motioned for me to get on his back. I hopped on and balanced myself, preparing for the ride back home.

"Ready!"

Haku took off. It was a big blur as he dashed over the ocean and through the clouds. I clung tightly to Haku as I watched the waves of the ocean ripple below us. I closed my eyes and thought about how much I loved my past adventures in the spirit world. Meeting amazing new friends like Haku and Lin was one of the best adventures I experienced. Haku…my best friend…I'll miss you…

I opened my eyes and looked around. The sunlight was so beautiful surrounding me and Haku!

"Haku, look! The sun rise!"

We both looked at the beautiful shades of orange and yellow around us as grassy hills appeared ahead of us.

"We're almost there…" I murmured.

It wasn't long before we finally reached the grassy land. It was still early morning when we arrived. Haku turned back into human form and we walked by the river. This was the same place we were 10 years ago, where he watched as I ran home. He told me not to look back, and that river was as far as he could go.

"Chihiro, I guess this is goodbye…for now. I know we will see each other again soon. Also, I have something for you."  
>Haku pulled out something that looked like a thin, gold chain from his pocket.<p>

"Close your eyes" he said with a warm smile.

He wrapped his hand around mine and opened it. What felt like a thin chain was rested in my hand. I opened my eyes and stared at the beautiful golden locket in front of me. Haku opened it showed two pictures. One of me, one of him. My eyes welled up with tears. My warm tears dripped onto my hands as I clutched the locket close to my heart.

"Haku, it's so beautiful!"

Haku wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace.

"Chihiro, I know we will see each other again very soon. But you cannot come to the bath house too often. Too much chaos would be caused by the presence of a human. But visits every few months would be just perfect."

"Of course I'll visit again! I will also wear this locket every day for the rest of my life. I love you, Haku!"

We both smiled and embraced each other once more.

"It's time for you to go now, Chihiro. I have to get to the bath house; the next boat should be arriving soon. We're always in each other's hearts. If there's a day where we can never see each other again…I'll be sure to break the barrier between the human world and the spirit world. Good bye now! Remember, don't look back… I love you too, Chihiro."

"Good bye…Haku."

I began to run home. Past the river, past the little shrines, and through the abandoned amusement park. I finally arrived at my house, where the blue was slowly fading. I unlocked the door with the key underneath our mat. No one was home. Picking the few leaves out of my hair and clothes, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

_"I'm still wearing the worker clothes…"_

I slipped them off, held them tightly near the locket, and cried.

_"I...miss them!"_

Months passed, and I decided to go visit again. But…the river was gone. It seemed my heart skipped a beat when I saw the beautiful river from months ago was gone. Ignoring my tears and the disappeared river, I continued on my journey to the bath house. I ran as fast as I could.

_"Haku! Lin! Where are you guys…"_

I stopped immediately. Where the bath house used to be…was nothing more than a few burnt pieces of wood. Tears streamed down my face at an uncontrollable rate as I stared at what used to be the beautiful bath house I met Haku in. I fell to the ground clutching the beautiful locket. No one was around…

"Chihiro."

I jumped as a hand…two hands…touched my shoulders.

Turning around quickly, I saw two familiar faces…my parents.

"Chihiro, what were you doing? All we did was take a hike through the woods. Didn't you see our note at home? We left it on the counter!"

"I….." I couldn't speak.

"I see you were exploring the old bath house that got burnt down last week." My dad remarked.

My eyes widened. I began to cry harder and harder.

"Chihiro! It's okay! There wasn't much of a meaning to the bath house anyways. We never even knew about it until it got burnt down!"

My parents started towards the house, leaving me to explore the remains of what seemed like my second home.

_"What happened to Haku and Lin?"_

I began to rummage through the remains. My eyes widened when I noticed a small piece of paper at my feet. It was addressed to me.

_"Chihiro, a guest was angered and set the bath house on fire. The spirit's fire was too powerful to put out, and all the guests and workers were locked in. I'm going to be the first to die, so I'm writing this to tell you I love you. I'm sorry. If you have found this, I'm glad you came to visit. Thank you for helping me find myself, freeing me, and having me fall in love for the first time. I've never felt anything better. Good bye. I love you. –Haku"_

My tears began to stain the letter that I crumpled into my hand, thinking of the pain Haku had to go through…

"Chihiro, come on!"

I quickly wiped my tears with the back of my hand and started towards my parents, still holding the note. I took one look back at the remains, opened my locket to see Haku's face, and ran home.

After getting home, I threw myself into my bed and continued to cry. I had kept the note Haku gave me. The note contained his last "I love you" to me. I wanted to write a note back to him, I wanted to talk to him once more. Taking out a sheet of paper, I thought about how useless it is to write a letter to him, but I remembered what my mother said to me years ago. "True loves lives on." I started on the letter.

_"Haku, I miss you terribly. You are my first love and the most important person to me there ever will be in my life. Even though you are gone, I believe you're still alive in my heart. I wear the locket you gave me every day to remember the most important person to me. I keep you close to my heart. Always. Having to deal with life without you, I don't think I'll be able to do it. I hope I'll be able to join you someday where we can be eternally happy together. I won't forget any of the memories from the bath house, especially when we first met each other. I won't forget when I dropped my little pink shoe into your river all those years ago. I won't forget you at all. I love you more than I'll ever love anyone else. I hope you know that. Good bye now. I hope you write back. Good bye. –Chihiro"_

After I finished writing the letter, I ran back over to the bath house. Running to where I found Haku's letter, appeared a little frog.

"Ribbit!"

I remarked on how similar it sounded to the frog spirits, and how alike they looked. The frog slowly opened its mouth, as if telling me to put something in it.

"Do I…feed you?" I slowly asked the frog.

All of a sudden, the frog snatched the letter I wrote into its mouth and dug deep into the remains.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

I dug through the rubble, only to find one of the frog spirit's dirtied clothes. As I got up and slowly started home, a bright glow appeared.

"Anh! What's going on!" I yelped as I covered my eyes.

When the glow disappeared, I uncovered my eyes. My eyes widened.

"H-Haku…?"

Before me was Haku. He was transparent and had a slight glow around him.

"Chihiro, I have received your letter. I have come to visit you in my spirit form, but I can only be here for very little time." Haku said as he came towards me, wrapping me tightly in his arms.

"I want you to take me with you, Haku! But… I don't think I can do that…"

"Only people that were born in the spirit world are able to do this. I have about two minutes left, and this will be the only time we'll see each other anymore. Please take care of yourself and, like you said in your letter, keep me close to your heart."

My wide eyes filled with tears as he held me tight.

"I promise! I always will Haku!"

A large ring, like that of a clock, sounded after a while.

"My time's up, Chihiro. Be sure to continue writing plenty of letters to me. I may not be able to reply, but it will still warm my heart to receive letters from you. Good bye now."

My eyes filling with tears, he slowly faded in my arms, turning to nothing. I fell to the ground, my tears pouring out.

Years passed, and I became old. No one ever came to replace Haku in my life, which made me happy. On my death bed, I began to write my last letter to Haku.

"_Haku, we'll be able to see each other again! I am close to death, so please excuse my shaky handwriting. I will keep this letter short, for we will be able to talk once more. I can't wait to be with my first love again, I love you! See you in a little bit. –Chihiro."_

I slowly set the letter on the windowsill of the wide open window, waiting for the little frog spirit to deliver it to Haku. It appeared, smiled, and hopped in.

"See you again soon!" the frog ribbited.

"Haku…"

Slowly… I closed my eyes, and I was still.

"Chihiro…"

We were together again.


End file.
